If you're trying to cut down the amount of white sugar that you have in your diet, a sugar substitute is a great place to start.
From sweeteners to naturally sweet ingredients, we’ve rounded up some of the best ways to replace that teaspoon of white sugar in your tea, sprinkling on your porridge or heap in your favourite bake.
Recent research has shown that most adults and children in the UK eat too much sugar. It’s acceptable to have a sweet treat every now but you’d be surprised how much sugar is in your diet – that’s where sugar substitutes come in handy.
You might not want to give up the sweetness that comes with a little added so you can swap it for something a little healthier instead.
Scroll to see all of our healthy sugar substitutes…
Agave nectar
Credit: Getty Images
Better than white sugar because:Â It’s made up of 90% concentrated fructose, a sugar that occurs naturally in fruit, which pretty much means you get the same sugars from it as you would eating a piece of fruit.
What recipes to use it in: Drizzle over your porridge or muesli in the mornings. Our Bircher muesli recipe is the perfect example of how it makes a tasty change from sugar. Agave nectar is similar to honey and can be added to hot drinks as a sweetener.
When it comes to baking you can swap half the amount of sugar in your recipe for agave nectar instead. Try doing this with our classic Victoria sponge recipe.
Honey
Better than white sugar because: It contains vitamins like niacin, thiamin and vitamin B6 which help to speed up your metabolism and improve your digestive system.
What recipes to use it in:
- Honey is the perfect substitute for that heaped teaspoon of sugar you might add to your cup of tea every day.
- Our carrot, honey and raisin cake substitutes some of the sugar for honey instead to make it that little bit healthier. The wholemeal flour and the brown sugar help this too.
- Some savoury sauces can contain sugar (especially readymade!) swap the sugar in our classic pizza tomato sauce for honey instead.
Maple syrup
Better than swhite ugar because: It's 100% natural and is three times as sweet as regular sugar which means you don't have to add as much, plus it's pretty low on the calorie front too!
What recipes to use it in:
- Give your coffee a sweet kick by swapping the sugar for maple syrup instead just like we have done in this maple coffee recipe.
- Porridge can be pretty boring served by itself, that's why we tend to pile it high with teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar. Ditch the sugar for maple syrup instead - you really won't need to use as much as you think.
- Swap the brown sugar in our spicy peanut chicken recipe for maple syrup - it'll give your dish a sweet kick. Just make sure you add a little at a time and try as you go - you don't want it to overpower the whole dish.
Bananas
Better than white sugar because: Not only do they contain natural sugars, which are much better for you than processed sugar, they're also proven to boost energy levels.
What recipes to use it in:
- If you love making flapjacks you can trade the sugar for bananas just like we have in this banana and three seed energy bars recipe.
- We know how bland Cornflakes can taste without the sugar so chop up a banana and add to your favourite bowl of cereal in the morning instead of sprinkling with sugar.
- Substitute some of the sugar in that cake recipe for banana instead, like Gordon Ramsay has done with these blueberry muffins.
Better than white sugar because: Just one tablespoon of molasses contains 20% of the daily recommended intake for calcium and 40% of iron.
What recipes to use it in:
- You can use molasses sugar instead of regular sugar just like these molasses bread rolls which are made with wholemeal flour and allspice.
- Molasses is great for using in a marinade for different meats like chicken, our baked spiced chicken recipe uses pomegranate molasses.
Apple puree
Better than white sugar because: Apple puree or apple sauce is much lower in calories than sugar and the sweetness is from a natural source.
What recipes to use it in:
- These apple spiced muffins use no sugar in the recipe and swap it for apple puree, low-fat yogurt and honey instead.
- Give your flapjacks an apple twist by using apple puree instead of sugar, our blackberry and apple oaty flapjacks are the perfect example.
Lemon
Better than white sugar because: Soothing sore throats and preventing kidney stones are only a few of the health benefits of swapping sugar for a lemon or lemon juice instead.
What recipes to use it in:
- A dash of lemon juice will make all the difference in your cuppa - it'll add a sweet and tangy flavour which is much better than sugar.
- Give your biscuits a zing of flavour by adding some lemon juice to the mix. You can also add the zest of the lemon too for a sweet burst of flavour. Try doing this with our vanilla cookies.
Raisins
Better than white sugar because: First off they're a fruit, and secondly they're packed full of energy boosting sugars and vitamins.
What recipes to use it in:
- Sprinkle some raisins on your bowl of cereal or porridge instead of opting for a spoonful of sugar.
- A handful of raisins would make a much better snack than a shop-bought cereal bar, which are often packed full of sugar.
- Substitute some of the sugar for raisins in your favourite cookie recipe. Our oatmeal raisin cookies do exactly that, plus they use oats and cinnamon for added sweetness.
Fruit juice
Better than white sugar because: Fruit juice, made from fresh, contains plenty of natural sugars which are good for the body.
What recipes to use it in:
- Making a fruit salad? Don't dust it in sugar, drizzle with fruit juice instead, it'll still keep all your fruits fresh and moist too.
- You can substitute the sugar in your favourite cake recipe for fruit juice instead. Carrot cakes often use orange juice to bulk up their sweet factor.
Dates
Better than white sugar because: Dates are easily digested which means your body absorbs all the goodness from them when eaten. 'The goodness' includes B-vitamins, niacin and vitamin A.
What recipes to use it in:
- Our date and walnut cake substitutes half of the sugar for finely chopped dates instead to make it a much denser and flavour-packed cake (not to mention healthier too!)
- Sprinkle some dates over your bowl of cereal in the morning or bring into work as a sweet snack between meals. It's much better than a chocolate bar!
- Our date and apple loaf combines two of our sugar substitutes together - apple sauce and dates, with only 100g of sugar in the whole loaf.
Coconut sugar
Better than white sugar because: This type of sugar contains vital nutrients found in coconuts including iron, zinc and calcium.
What recipes to use it in:
- Swap the sugar in your favourite cake or biscuit recipe for coconut sugar instead - it's quite a dense sugar so sieve before adding.
- Switch the white sugar in this cookie recipe and the brown sugar in this carrot and apricot loaf cake to coconut sugar instead for a nutty texture as well as flavour.
Better than white sugar because: It's a zero calories sweetener derived from plants which is much sweeter than sugar so it doesn't take much to sweeten something up.
What recipes to use it in:
- You can use stevia as a sugar substitute in your teas, coffee, hot chocolate or on your breakfast in the mornings for that sweet kick.
- Trade the sugar in that special bake for stevia instead, you could experiment with our plum crumble recipe.
- Stevia can also be used to make different sauces and marinades, just like our brandy and peppercorn sauce (perfect for serving with steak!)
Better than white sugar because: It is 100% pure and has 1/3 fewer calories than sugar. It also encourages B vitamins and calcium to be absorbed into the body.
What recipes to use it in:
- Xylitol can replace most sugars in cake or biscuit recipes so just swap it for the same amount for a healthier alternative. Try it out for yourselves using our courgette loaf recipe.
- Swap your heaped teaspoon of sugar in your cuppa or dusting on your cereal for xylitol instead.
- If you love adding sugar to your favourite spag Bol recipe swap it for xylitol instead - it is impossible to caramelise xylitol, even a high temperatures.
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